NPA versus NPA

HAPPY WEEKEND

Gina Dizon

NPA means Non Performing Assets. And there are some I notice in government offices.  I see Facebook accounts opened in computers during office hours and some government personnel I see busy on a computer word game called super text twist.

Coming to office answering Facebook notifications and writing on status must be something to be paid for with this unabated and free use of Facebook accounts during office hours. Unless the Facebook account is a venue to work on.

I see some government personnel idling their hours away chatting endless over non office work business, and worse, those who go outside of the office for hours and do something else and not the work one is called for to do. 

I see government personnel leaving home early afternoons and some government staff always, or to be safe most of the time out from office. Unless, one’s work tells one to be always out from office as to do field work. It’s another question how productive is a field day recorded for that purpose.    

Government staff and personnel are paid and I refer to those in permanent positions paid P700 to a thousand   pesos a day plus their representation and transportation allowance (RATA) and other benefits.

At the end of the year, they have bonuses on top of their 13th month pay. With some 3 million unemployed  Filipinos, you will  really feel blessed when  you are employed by government. They are very lucky and one would be happy for them because they are happy and lucky and employed -- at the expense of the people.

It is shameful to be getting something without working for it. Isunga adda ti kunan ti umili nga “ikaru ti kanen” (work for what you eat). Otherwise, it would be a moral sin and also a legal omission not to work and be paid for something  not worked for. You know who you are if you are an NPA in government.   

These government  staff and personnel receive  money for their salaries  from  taxes of  people. And because of this, it is proper that they render work on what they receive and exert effort and creativity to making a better country and do service for the people whom they serve. 

It is good the Anti Red Tape Law was enacted  exacting the  time accorded  to  government  offices  when  people visit  a government  office and not wait for hours and days for a transaction which can be done in a minute. Too bad, some government offices are not doing their work well. There are those rated excellent, some good and some below good which is bad, as in bad service.    

There are also those who are super busy doing something. Busy doing construction work on a brother’s house or doing something else while on office hours. And others busy concocting and doing ways to get money from government funds such as   using other people’s names.

I can cite  the work of   government  staff who submitted  vouchers to be signed  about  proposals for the LGU’s  infra projects and  used the name of another  to claim the money. It turned out that the other denied her participation in the supposed project proposal making. The cheque was cancelled and you will wonder how and why the voucher and the cheque were signed by the executive officer.  

The Civil Service Commission is supposed to check on government personnel if they are working work efficiently. Yet CSC staff are not always around to check on government personnel’s’ abuses.

This leaves authorities to check on what their subordinates are doing. The problem is when an authority is the one doing corrupt acts and abusing his authority. Watch out for government authorities including subordinates who lie and cheat.

When this happens, their acts show what kind of service they give to the people whom they are under obligation to serve. Roads are narrow and dusty and rugged for a long period of time. Garbage is stenching dumped in whatever corner. Water is a problem for a long period of time.

There are no shelves for important documents in the office. There is not enough equipment, or say defective equipment for government staff to use. The executive is always out of office doing God knows what. There is very low local income despite being a commercial town. Barangay health workers are paid less than a thousand for one quarter of the year.

Barangay day care teachers are paid less than P3,000 a month. There are no office- based disaster preparedness materials and equipment available for people to use in case of disasters. Nepotism is rampant. There are many staff in government surpassing the limit for personnel services in the LGUs budget as compared to low services done for the people.

People incessantly do solicitation for sick patients, and school children who attend educational competitions, etc.  Government staff  also do their own corrupt acts like going outside of office and doing something else like helping out construct a house during office hours. What  a shame!  

You will know when a corrupt government official just entered on a corrupt deal. A house is suddenly bought or up and about being constructed reaching three to four stories high. A million worth Pajero or Toyota  is personally  driven and millions stashed in the bank.

From the local to the national level in government, the list is endless and the people may either be fed up or don’t have or find it difficult to get the documents to file the necessary charges against erring government staff and officers.  And for those who were filed with charges on corruption, no one is locked up in jail.

This country utterly is in bad shape and it’s a real shame while neighbour countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Korea, Thailand, and Japan are doing economically well paying Filipino migrant workers who work in their countries because of a poor Philippine country they fly out to look for better working pay to feed their families and build a decent home.

Corruption is the number one concern for doing business in the Philippines, and bribery appears to be an increasing problem for companies according to the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009.Forty five (45%) of companies admit to having paid bribes in order to 'get things done' according to the World Bank & IFC Enterprise Survey Philippines 2003, and in the SWS Business Survey on Corruption 2007, three out of five managers were asked for a bribe in at least one transaction the previous year, and the amount of the bribe was higher than it had been in the past.

“Corruption is often encountered when interacting with public officials. Half the companies surveyed by SWS report that they are discouraged and claim that corruption is systemic, forming an integrated part of the way government works. They also state that most companies they compete against must pay bribes in order to obtain a government contract. Nearly 28% of companies in the Philippines report that bribes are solicited in their meetings with tax officials.”

Bribes are often expected is in obtaining operating licences, construction permits and import licences. And this is a commonly heard practise of government officials drawing disgust from others who did not win in government contracts.

Now here comes the alleged P10 billion mother of all scams with the modus operandi to source money from legislators’  pork barrel funds and government agencies  to supposedly benefit  local LGUs  need for organic fertilizer or  health benefits, with the use of  fake  non- government agencies as conduit for the fund. You may conclude that the source of the fund knows the operation is illegal because he will be receiving a 40 to 60% commission.  

It’s nearly October and it’s another round of corruption on Philippine politics in the coming barangay and SK elections. Yeheyy,  here comes the President’s SONA. What else is new?

xxx

Meanwhile , the NPA is the New Peoples Army.  They are not paid by the government of course and they are considered rebels and insurgents by government. They live on the  hills and mountains and stage ambushes on government armed forces or  engage in encounters and kill or be killed. 

They get firearms which is their direct intention om ambushes apart from other agenda. They check on government abuses to include stopping development projects which bring havoc to peoples’ lives and the environment.

They stop by peoples’ homes located in the mountains and partake in whatever food the community can give. They also cook their meals. They are not dependent on the government for support or allowance. Unless they surrender and get a P5,000 allowance from the government.

I wish they call on government officials and warn them not to commit corruption and tell other government personnel not to steal peoples’ money or steal the time away.

With the proliferation on NPAs in government who contribute to the malady of a poor country, NPAs on the mountains could check government abuses.